Comparing two singers in different music genres
Eminem (Marshall Bruce Mathers III) and Elvis Presley
Music has been a source of entertainment throughout man’s existence. The industry exploded to new heights with the invention of technologies like the radio and television. In recent years, the financial success of top artists has inspired a lot of people to try their luck in the world of music. However, only a few artists make it to the mainstream, and even fewer of them achieve great success. Eminem (Marshall Bruce Mathers III) and Elvis Presley are among the most successful artists in their respective genres. Both Eminem and Elvis Presley have achieved incredible commercial successes in their fields. But how did they do that? The following essay discusses the similarities between Eminem and Elvis Presley and what has contributed to the success of their individual music careers, despite being in two different types of music genre – the hip hop music genre and rock and roll.
The first and obvious similarity between the two artists that led to the success of their music careers is their race. Both artists, Eminem and Elvis Presley, are white artists. The race is and has majorly played an essential role in building music careers of different entertainers. This is because the two musicians were entering an industry that was mainly dominated by blacks that were known as the Black Culture. In an instance, when Elvis’ song, That’s All Right, aired on radio, many assumed he was black. But when they found out that he was white, the audience got interested in the new artist who was performing well in a culture that they thought he would not fit in.
Similarly, Eminem is credited for breaking racial barriers in the hip hop/rap scene due to the success he achieved despite being a white rapper. He inadvertently popularized hip hop to a Middle American audience. This meant that Eminem and Elvis Presley were entering industries with an established black audience and introducing white America to this new style of music. With support from these two main demographics, their sales ballooned and surpassed other artists in their fields. Elvis Presley is now the best-selling artist of all time, while Eminem has sold over 220 million records worldwide. Their individual achievements have made them become leaders in their respective genres. Elvis Presley was crowned the King of Rock while Eminem claims the title of the Rap god.
The public is usually attracted to controversial individuals. These controversies allow people to escape from their realities and jump into the lives of these polarizing public figures. Both Eminem and Elvis Presley have had several controversies throughout their music careers. Eminem has had several lawsuits and numerous arrests. Also, his perverse and often violent and offensive lyrics started a debate on the limits of free speech. In the same way, although to a lesser extent, Elvis Presley had his fair share of controversies. Presley’s personal relationship and his second appearance on the Milton Berle Show created a wave of outrage. These controversies increased the public interest in the two artists’ personal lives and their music careers, inadvertently contributing to their successes. Eminem and Elvis Presley knew the art of demanding attention from the public, and that was why they created scenes in different instances to start a debate.
Another reason that propelled the success of these two great artists is their ability to create something entirely new, rather than just following the route that every artist before them did. As a result, both faced harsh criticism from different critics and fans of the traditional art form. Presley’s gyrations and exaggerated body movements incurred a lot of outrage, while a lot of anger and violence fueled Eminem’s music. Eminem faced a lot of hate from music journalists and some members of the public. It is these differences that separated them from others in the crowded music industry. They offered something fresh and new that attracted the attention of the listeners.
The media plays an important role in an artist’s success. How the media portrays, an individual can influence the public perception of a musician. Constant media presence also ensures one never disappears from the audience’s minds. Eminem and Elvis enjoyed a lot of media coverage. Their album releases came with massive coverage, their interviews had great ratings, and even their controversies kept them in the limelight even when they were not necessarily releasing a new song. Music journalists were also influential in their successes as they generally enjoyed positive reviews, especially in their early works. All the respect they got from fellow popular artists helped the two popular artists win many new fans and cemented their status as real, legitimate, and talented musicians. Although Eminem and Elvis Presley are vastly different artists from different music genres and from different time periods, they generally enjoy the same level of recognition and success. Their successes have underlying similarities which, when explored, might just offer a blueprint for success in the music industry.
- I used the bloke method to organize my body paragraph. This bloke method style of organization is efficient for me in exhausting all the maximum possible points in comparing these two artists, Eminem and Elvis Presley’s music genre and their successes.
- Writing a comparison essay was different from narrative essay since comparison entailed giving similarities between two things while a narrative essay entailed discussing a particular topic.
- If I were to improve anything from the draft, I would find a way to edit my conclusion. For me, the conclusion part was a little challenging.